Paula Deen's memoir, It Ain't All About the Cookin', was a fascinating look into the private family and business life of the Southern restaurant and cooking show queen. This book was very personal, from getting her period, having sex, race relations in the South, mistakes she made as a mother...and that's all within the first 20 pages! It was also honest, and a page turner to the end.
Paula leaves nothing out and the reader feels as if she is simply sitting at Paula's kitchen table having a cup of coffee and a chat. One can hear Paula's Southern twang while reading all about her childhood, growing up during the civil rights movement, her close knit family, her difficult first marriage, the death of her parents and subsequent agoraphobia issues, raising her boys, taking risks to start her first business, all the way through the huge success she has become and finding her true love. Through it all the importance of family shines through, and her love of Southern food and cooking. Interspersed through the book there are personal recipes that hold a special significance, some of which have never been shared before.
I truly enjoyed reading this memoir, and it made me more interested in the genre. I was a little sad when the book was over, because it meant that personal time with Paula was over. If you have ever enjoyed her cooking shows or smiled when she says "butta" in her Southern drawl, I think you would enjoy this intimate look into her life and what makes Paula Deen the queen of Southern cooking.
Happy Reading, y'all!
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